Since 2013, I’ve spent most of my time trying to build “passive income”.
And I did a good job of it.
Built a multimillion-dollar business, made tens of millions, most of it “passively”.
But now I feel let down.
Like an influencer’s breakfast recommendation.
Now, I’m not gonna go all “YouTube” on you and say that “passive income is a lie!”…
But I do think it’s badly misunderstood.
Let me explain…
Back in 2013, when I started StoryLearning, passive income was my North Star. Makes sense, really. I was stuck in a job I hated, working for a boss I couldn’t stand, living in a country I didn’t want to be in.
See? Haven’t changed a bit.
So naturally, the idea of making money while sleeping on a beach in Thailand seemed rather appealing.
I went all in on passive income…
Went full “Pay Flynn”…
Built everything around digital products and automated email sequences…
Set up traffic from affiliates, SEO, podcasts – stuff that would keep delivering eyeballs without me lifting a finger.
The whole shebang.
Fast forward a few years…
Seven figures in annual profit. Team running everything. I barely had to show up.
Living the dream, right?
Wrong.
Here’s what nobody tells you about passive income:
Passive income is about as passive as cutting your own hair.
See, despite all this passive income, we were working our arses off. Constantly.
Why?
Because “passive” income is always at the mercy of algorithms. And algorithms are about as reliable as a British summer.
One day, Google loves your content. The next day, they decide your best-performing article belongs on page 47. There goes £10,000 a month.
Your star affiliate finds a better offer? Another chunk of revenue vanishes.
Email deliverability tanks? Sales plummet.
You’re permanently on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I imagine it’s a lot like being Saddam Hussein in the ’90s. You’ve got all the palaces and riches, but there’s an assassin lurking around every corner. You can never truly relax.
(Although you would get a bit of light entertainment from his Minister of Information — remember him?)
Bit of a grim analogy, but you get the point.
The thing is, I thought this was normal. It was the only business model I knew.
Then I started my personal brand business at OllyRichards.co…
Everything changed.
Suddenly, I was doing all the things I’d spent years avoiding.
- Buying ads for traffic
- Getting on Zoom calls with clients
- Running live workshops
- In-person events
Proper active work.
Time for money.
And you know what?
I bloody loved it.
Sure, I was trading time for money. But it was very little time for quite a lot of money.
More importantly, I was in control.
Want more traffic? Buy more ads.
Want more revenue? Take on another client or launch a workshop.
No algorithms.
No middlemen.
No waking up to find half your income has evaporated overnight.
Rather the Saddam, it felt like being a valued merchant travelling from kingdom to kingdom, consulting with kings, collecting a few quarts of gold coins, then moving on when I fancied it.
That’s me, that is
Master of my own destiny.
Compare that to the passive income model, where you’re constantly firefighting, updating, predicting, reacting to forces beyond your control…
This is important:
I was working roughly the same hours in both businesses. Making similar money too.
The difference?
One filled me with anxiety. The other gave me peace of mind.
Now, you might be thinking,
“What about truly passive income? Bank interest, index funds, that sort of thing?”
Still not passive, champ.
Interest rates change. Markets shift. You can’t just chuck money somewhere and ignore it for 20 years. You need to monitor, adjust, optimise.
I’ve done the lot.
Rental properties (even with management companies, there’s always something).
Angel investments in startups (dividend checks are lovely but they want you to promote them).
Nothing is truly passive.
And that’s fine.
Because here’s what I’ve realised after all these years…
If you’re an ambitious person who believes work is fundamentally good (and if you’re reading this, you probably are), you’re always going to be working on something.
The question isn’t “How can I avoid work?”
The question is “How do I want to spend my time?”
Do you want to spend it constantly looking over your shoulder, worried about the next algorithm update?
Or do you want to spend it building something you control, working directly with people, creating real value?
I know which one I prefer.
These days, I’m all about active income. Direct relationships. Work I control.
Yes, it means I can’t disappear to a desert island for six months. But I never really wanted to anyway.
What I wanted was freedom. And ironically, I found more freedom in active work than I ever did chasing passive income.
Funny how that works out.
Namaste,
Olly
